Jos Buttler Shines Before Rain Washes Out New Zealand T20

Christchurch, October 18: By the time the rain started hammering Hagley Oval, Jos Buttler had already walked off with that familiar mix of irritation and resignation. Twenty-nine runs to his name, a few shots that hinted at rhythm, and then, nothing. The covers came on, umbrellas popped open, and whatever momentum England had found was drowned under a stubborn New Zealand sky.

The official score 153 for six will sit there in the record books like a half-written sentence.

A Day That Never Quite Took Off

You could tell it was going to rain before a ball was bowled. Low clouds, the kind that hang heavy, the kind that umpires keep glancing up at. Mitchell Santner won the toss, looked around, and said he’d bowl. Fair call.

For a short while, England looked like they might make a night of it. Phil Salt swung hard, Buttler played those neat little deflections that turn dot balls into ones and twos. Nothing explosive, just smart cricket. Then Michael Bracewell, returning after injury, tossed one up that dipped a fraction. Buttler went for the drive. Edge, catch, Matt Henry waiting.

The rain arrived not long after, light at first, then proper sheets of it. Out came the covers, out came the sighs. Players shook hands in the gloom. The crowd didn’t even boo just zipped jackets higher and headed for the exits.

Buttler at the Centre of England’s Reset

This tour matters to England in a quiet way. After a patchy couple of years, they need a run of games to rebuild the chemistry that once made them terrifying. And at the centre of that rebuild is Buttler still captain, still wicketkeeper, still the calm eye in England’s chaos.

Cricexec had listed the starting XI earlier in the day: Salt, Will Jacks, Harry Brook, Sam Curran the now-standard blend of power and promise. It’s a team still learning how to balance flair with maturity. You can see flashes of both, sometimes in the same over.

Buttler’s role in that mix is changing. He isn’t just the opener anymore; he’s the steady hand that allows everyone else to swing freely. The younger lads treat him less like a teammate and more like a guide who’s seen both ends of success.

Chasing a Quiet Landmark

There’s a number following him around on this trip: 4,000 runs in T20 internationals. He’s close around 160 away, according to ESPN and when he gets there, he’ll be only the fourth man ever to do it, and the first Englishman. He won’t make a fuss when it happens. That’s not his way.

For a player like Buttler, milestones are almost incidental. His reputation was made long ago, back when he was scooping fast bowlers over fine leg and turning one-day games into science experiments. What he’s doing now is something different: quietly extending a career that’s already changed how England think about short-format cricket.

England’s Opening Dilemma

There’s also the matter of who partners him. Sky Sports have been hammering the same question for weeks if Salt is the future, does that make Buttler the anchor? Or do they just hit together and see where it lands?

It’s not a bad problem to have, but it’s a puzzle England haven’t solved yet. Salt can detonate, Jacks is all flair, Brook brings elegance, and Buttler sits somewhere between all three. When it clicks, it’s dazzling. When it doesn’t, it looks like four soloists searching for harmony.

Tonight didn’t answer much. Rain rarely does.

The Captain’s Quiet Weight

Since Eoin Morgan stepped away, Buttler’s led with a different kind of energy. Less rallying cries, more quiet nods. People inside the setup say his calm is his strength that even when everything around him goes wrong, his face barely changes. It’s true. Watch him after a dropped catch or a mistimed shot. There’s no glare, no arm-waving. Just that slow blink and reset.

But leadership has its shadows too. There’s always noise about the next captain, Sam Curran, maybe, or Harry Brook. Buttler doesn’t bite when asked. He’s been around long enough to know that the next thing always comes. Until then, he plays.

What Now

New Zealand won’t mind the washout too much. They got some overs into Bracewell, saw a few encouraging signs, and didn’t have to chase under bad light. For England, it’s frustration they’ll carry to Dunedin for the second T20 on October 20. They’ll want a full game this time, not another evening of drizzle and damp trousers.

The thing about Buttler is, he doesn’t need many balls to find rhythm. A couple of boundaries, one over of timing, and suddenly he’s in that zone again. Maybe that’ll come in Dunedin. Maybe it won’t. But the intent is there, you can see it.

Tonight wasn’t about failure. It was just weather and timing conspiring against him. He walked off calm, gloves tucked under his arm, looking like a man who knows his story’s nowhere near finished.

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Prakash Nair

Senior Sports Journalist – Prakash@hindustanherald.in – Web

Sports reporter covering cricket, football, and Olympic disciplines, with on-ground event experience.

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